Royal, civic and national ceremonyEurope
Parliamentary snuff box
A wooden box of free snuff kept at the door of the House of Commons
The parliamentary snuff box holds snuff, or powdered tobacco, at the entrance to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, free for Members of Parliament to take. Smoking was banned in the chamber in 1694, and snuff became the accepted alternative. The Principal Doorkeeper keeps the box filled today.
When is Parliamentary snuff box kept?
Parliamentary snuff box is kept on kept in place at the Commons door all year.
At the entrance to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom stands a wooden box of snuff, kept there for members who want tobacco. Smoking was banned in the chamber in 1694, and snuff took its place. The box is filled by the Principal Doorkeeper, and the custom of offering it free to Members of Parliament is a small, easily missed part of how the House runs.
What it is
The subject is a wooden box of snuff kept at the door of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. Snuff is powdered tobacco, taken by sniffing it up the nose. The box sits there so that Members of Parliament can take a pinch. Keeping it filled is the job of the Principal Doorkeeper, an official of the House. Members are not charged for what they take. The arrangement is one of the small customs of the Commons, easy to walk past without noticing.
Origins and history
In 1694 the Parliament of England resolved that smoking should be banned in the House of Commons and in its committee rooms. Members still wanted tobacco, so snuff was allowed instead. Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice is the work that records this. A German bomb destroyed the Commons chamber in 1941, while the Palace of Westminster was hit. The box used now was made from the door frame of the ruined chamber. A silver plate on its lid carries the names of every Principal Doorkeeper from 1943 onwards.
How it is kept
The Principal Doorkeeper stocks the box. He chooses the snuff himself, buying it from a local tobacconist, and the money comes out of his own pocket rather than public funds. Members help themselves freely, and the free snuff has long been counted among the rights of their place in the House. Very few have used it in recent times. The last occasion on record is from 1989, when 1.5 ounces, or 43 grams, were taken and the cost was 99p. A written answer to Parliament in 2012 stated that nobody was known to be using it.
Attention and debate
The free snuff stayed little known for a long time. In 2010 a reply under freedom of information rules explained how the box was run, though it did not name the members who had taken snuff. The subject reached debate in 2012. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party member for Brighton Pavilion, called the box out of date. Rehman Chishti, Conservative member for Gillingham and Rainham, asked about the amount used over the previous ten years. The reply said no users were known. Handing out free tobacco is against the law under the Health Act 2006, but the Palace of Westminster holds the status of a royal palace, which keeps Parliament outside that rule.
How Parliamentary snuff box is kept
Snuff sits in a wooden box at the door of the Commons chamber. The Principal Doorkeeper keeps it full, choosing the snuff from a local tobacconist and paying for it himself. Members of Parliament are free to take a pinch as they pass, and the privilege has belonged to them for a very long time. Hardly anyone does now. The last use on record came in 1989, when 43 grams, or 1.5 ounces, were taken at a cost of 99p. By 2012 Parliament was told that no users were known.
When and where
The custom has no fixed day. It belongs to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and starts after the 1694 ban on smoking there. The box in use now was made in 1941, and it stands at the chamber door throughout the year.
It is kept in the United Kingdom, at the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster, and is tied to that chamber alone. No other place is recorded as keeping a snuff box of this kind for its members.
What Parliamentary snuff box means
By the 2010s the box held a right that almost nobody exercised. A freedom of information reply in 2010 showed the custom was real, while the names of those who took snuff were not given. For some it stands for continuity, a habit kept going quietly by one official. For others it looks outdated, and Caroline Lucas said as much in 2012. Either way it marks a small privilege that has outlived its everyday use.
Questions people ask about Parliamentary snuff box
When is Parliamentary snuff box kept?
Parliamentary snuff box is kept on kept in place at the Commons door all year.
What is the parliamentary snuff box?
It is a wooden box of snuff, or powdered tobacco, standing at the door of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. Members of Parliament may take snuff from it free of charge, and the Principal Doorkeeper keeps it stocked.
Why does Parliament keep snuff at all?
Smoking was banned in the Commons and its committee rooms in 1694, but members still wanted tobacco. Snuff was allowed as a substitute, and the practice has been carried on since, as recorded in Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice.
Who fills the box, and who pays?
The Principal Doorkeeper, an official of the House, is responsible for the box. He buys the snuff from a local tobacconist and the money is his own, not public funds. He then keeps the box filled for members.
Do members still use it?
The last recorded case of a member taking snuff is from 1989. In 2012 a written answer said there were no known users. The box is still kept, and its contents are still paid for by the Principal Doorkeeper.
Where is the box kept?
It stands at the door of the House of Commons chamber in the Palace of Westminster, the building where Parliament sits. The present box was made from timber from the chamber's own door frame after the chamber was destroyed by a German bomb in 1941.
See also
Beating RetreatA military ceremony of music and drill held at sunset to mark the end of a day or a festival.
Lord Mayor's ShowAn annual civic parade in London marking the inauguration of the Lord Mayor with a procession and pageantry.
Victory in Europe DayThe day Nazi Germany's surrender was accepted, marking the end of the war in Europe
Buy Nothing DayAn annual 24-hour pause on shopping to protest consumerism and overconsumptionGood reading and sources
- The nose habit: Should MPs snuff it out?BBC, Article
- The nose habit: Should MPs snuff it out?BBC, Article
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Parliamentary snuff box", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.
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